The present invention relates to vehicle bumper systems adapted for energy absorption and having energy-absorbing mounts.
Energy management in the area of vehicle bumper mounts is critical for effective energy absorption during a vehicle crash. Often, bumper mounts are made heavy-duty to have sufficient strength to pass impact and functional bumper testing. However, this leads to substantial increased cost, wasted material, and increased weight. Also, bumper mounts are often made to collapse in particular ways and/or their impact stroke distances are increased to provide for substantial energy absorption prior to the impact affecting the vehicle's frame. However, these modifications also result in increased costs. It is desirable to provide improved crush strength and energy absorption in the area of bumper mounts, but without increasing the crush stroke and without substantially increasing the weight and complexity of the mounting area.
Bumper systems often have polymeric energy absorbers for providing initial energy absorption when a bumper system is impacted. Energy absorbers can be tuned to modify the force-deflection curve (i.e. energy absorption curve) for a given bumper system. For example, tuning may include thickening or thinning walls, and/or material substitution, and/or addition of more structure to the energy absorber. However, simpler and less intrusive methods are desired for tuning a bumper system.
Thus, a bumper system and related method having the aforementioned advantages and solving the aforementioned problems are desired.